WE WILL BRING IT TO YOU.
GOOD EVENING---I'M ROB
QUIRK.
ELIZABETH IS OFF THIS WEEK.
NOW TO A NEWS FIVE
INVESTIGATION.
THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HAS
PROMISED MORE TRANSPARENCY,
BETTER ACCOUNTABILITY, AND
IMPROVED HEALTH CARE....
THIS COMES AFTER THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE
FOUND HUNDREDS OF VETERANS
NATIONWIDE WERE DYING AS THEY
WAITED MONTHS, AND IN SOME CASES
YEARS FOR APPOINTMENTS.
BUT IS THE V-A KEEPING ITS
PROMISE?
CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
ERIC ROSS LIVE IN-STUDIO WITH
NEW EVIDENCE
SHOWING SOME PROBLEMS STILL
EXIST.
ERIC-
ALAN CORNELL HAD COLON
CANCER SURGERY LAST YEAR.
FOLLOWING THAT SURGERY---
DOCTORS STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE
OF CHEMOTHERAPY..
BUT OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND
CORNELL WAITED MONTHS TO
START CHEMO BECAUSE OF QUOTE
"MISCOMMUNICATION"...AND NOW
DOCTORS ARE SAYING HE DOESN'T
HAVE MUCH LONGER TO LIVE.
TONIGHT---NEWS FIVE
INVESTIGATES -- DID THE V-A FAIL
THIS VETERAN?
"PEOPLE NEED TO BE UPSET ABOUT
THIS AND MAD AS HELL ABOUT
THIS."
NAVY VETERAN ALAN CORNELL NEVER
ENVISIONED SITTING IN FRONT OF A
CAMERA...BUT HE NOW FEELS
OBLIGATED TO SHARE HIS STORY.
"I CONTACTED YOU BECAUSE YOU
WERE THE ONLY WAY I COULD GET
THIS OUT.
I'M TRYING TO REACH OUT TO AS
MANY VETERANS AS I CAN."
IN SEPTEMBER 2016---CORNELL
SHOWED UP AT PENROSE HOSPITAL
WITH ABDOMINAL PAIN.
IT TURNED OUT TO BE COLON
CANCER.
DOCTORS PERFORMED SURGERY---AND
RECOMMENDED CHEMO.
"EVERYBODY WAS STRESSING THAT I
NEEDED TO GET IT DONE NOW AND
START NOW.
THE MONTHS JUST KEPT ROLLING BY
AND IT WASN'T
HAPPENING."
DESPITE HAVING V-A CENTERS IN
COLORADO SPRINGS AND
PUEBLO---NEITHER OFFER
CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT.
NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES
DISCOVERED THE ONLY V-A CENTER
CAPABLE OF ADMINISTERING
CHEMO---IS IN DENVER.
CORNELL IS HOMELESS---MAKING
TRAVEL DIFFICULT.
"THEY SAID COME UP HERE, I SAID
NO, THERE'S NO REASON FOR ME TO
DRIVE 90 MILES WHEN I'M FIVE
MINUTES AWAY FROM BEING TREATED
HERE.
THAT'S
STUPID!"
CORNELL IS HOMELESS--MAKING
TRAVEL DIFFICULT...
SO CORNELL DECIDED TO APPLY FOR
THE "CHOICE" PROGRAM---WHICH
ALLOWS VETERANS TO RECEIVE
HEALTHCARE OUTSIDE OF THE V-A.
APPROVAL INTO THE PROGRAM WOULD
HAVE ALLOWED CORNELL TO START
CHEMOTHERAPY AT THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN CANCER CENTER IN
COLORADO SPRINGS...BUT HE HIT
SEVERAL ROAD BLOCKS.
MEDICAL RECORDS OBTAINED BY THE
I- TEAM SHOW CORNELL APPLIED FOR
"CHOICE" ON OCTOBER 21....
IT TOOK "CHOICE" THREE WEEKS TO
COME BACK AND SAY CORNELL WAS
QUOTE "LIKELY NOT ELIGIBLE" FOR
HELP OUTSIDE THE V-A.
A WEEK LATER---THE PAPERWORK IS
RESUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL.
ANOTHER WEEK PASSES---AND NOW
IT'S DECEMBER---
CORNELL IS FINALLY APPROVED FOR
CHOICE....
BUT HE HAD TO WAIT ANOTHER FEW
WEEKS TO START HIS FIRST ROUND
OF CHEMO---WHICH TOOK PLACE
AFTER DECEMBER 29TH.
BY THEN---MORE THAN 8 WEEKS HAD
PASSED---AND IT WAS TOO LATE.
"THE FIRST ROUND OF CHEMO DID
NOT WORK."
WE TOOK CORNELL'S CASE STRAIGHT
TO THE TOP----AND SAT DOWN DOWN
WITH DOCTOR HAROLD DILLON, THE
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE
VA.
ERIC QUESTION: ACCORDING TO VA
MEDICAL RECORDS, DOCTORS
RECOMMENDED MR.
CORNELL UNDERGO CHEMO
IMMEDIATELY BUT BECAUSE OF
CHOICE DELAYS, HE DIDN'T START
UNTIL AFTER DEC.
29TH---3 MONTHS LATER.
IS THAT ACCEPTABLE?" ANSWER: LET
ME JUST PUT IT THIS WAY, BASED
ON SEVERAL ISSUES BETWEEN
MISCOMMUNICATION WITH THE CHOICE
PROGRAM AND OUR
FACILITY TRYING TO CONTACT THE
PATIENT, THOSE COMMUNICATION
BARRIERS LED TO AN ADDITIONAL
DELAY OF 4 WEEKS WHICH IS
UNDERSTANDABLE BUT NOT
ACCEPTABLE."
ERIC: HE
MR.
CORNELL
BELIEVES HAD BE BEEN ABLE TO
START CHEMO IMMEDIATELY, THE
OUTCOME MIGHT HAVE BEEN
DIFFERENT.
DO YOU AGREE?
ANSWER: THERE'S REALLY NOT ANY
LITERATURE THAT SAYS IF YOU HAVE
CHEMO AT 4 WEEKS VS 6, 8, 10 OR
12 WEEKS THAT IT REDUCES YOUR
RISK
OF OCCURANCE BY X AMOUNT.
THOSE STATISTICS DON'T EXIST."
DOCTOR DILLON SAYS GENERALLY,
CANCER PATIENTS WILL START CHEMO
AS EARLY AS 4 WEEKS AFTER
SURGERY...BUT REITERATES
CHEMOTHERAPY DOESN'T GUARANTEE
THE CANCER WILL GO
AWAY....
IT CAN SIMPLY PLOLONGE SOMEONE'S
LIFE.
DOCTORS NOW PREDICTING CORNELL'S
CHANCES OF LIVING LONGER THAN 5
YEARS IS LESS THAN 30- PERCENT.
ERIC: "DO YOU BELIEVE THE VA DID
ALL IT COULD TO HELP MR.
CORNELL?"
ANSWER: FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE,
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME
MISUNDERSTANDINGS OF WHAT REALLY
WAS AVAILABLE IN THE CHOICE
PROGRAM AND OUTSIDE OF THE
CHOICE PROGRAM, WHAT WE COULD
HAVE DONE THROUGH NON-VA CARE.
ERIC: AN "I'M SORRY" OR AN
APOLOGY DOESN'T SIT WELL WHEN
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT VETERANS
AND HEALTH CARE.
DILLON: I THINK THE QUALITY OF
CARE WE PROVIDE IS ABOVE WHAT'S
PROVIDED IN THE COMMUNITY TO OUR
VETERANS.
WHILE DOCTOR DILLON SAYS THE V-A
HAS HIRED NEW NURSES AND
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS, BUILT
NEW MEDICAL FACILITIES, AND
PURCHASED NEW MEDICAL
EQUIPMENT----NEWS FIVE
INVESTIGATES FOUND NO PLANS TO
BRING CHEMO TREATMENT TO V-A
CENTERS IN SOUTHERN COLORADO.
ERIC: THE VA MOVED TO A BRAND
NEW FACILITY IN COLORADO
SPRINGS.
SOME VETERANS MAY ASK WHY YOU
CAN'T BRING A CHEMO CENTER DOWN
HERE?
ANSWER: WE DID MOVE INTO A
CLINIC THAT WE HAVE OUTGROWN.
WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF AND
FACILITIES TO DO IT."
YOU HEARD RIGHT---
ANSWER: WE DID MOVE INTO A
CLINIC THAT WE HAVE OUTGROWN.
WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF AND
FACILITIES TO DO IT." YOU HEARD
RIGHT---
THIS NEW NEW 76 THOUSAND SQUARE
FOOT FACILITY DOESN'T HAVE THE
SPACE OR STAFF TO RUN A CHEMO
CENTER.
"IT'S A DIFFICULT PILL TO
SWALLOW BUT SPACE IS A
LIMITATION IN COLORADO SPRINGS."
THIS NEWS DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH
CORNELL---WHO SAYS THE V-A IS
DROPPING THE BALL ON TREATING
VETERANS WITH CANCER...POINTING
TO DELAY...AFTER DELAY.
"ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS APPROVE
SOMEONE'S TREATMENT.
THE PAPER COMES ACROSS YOUR DESK
AND SEE THAT IT'S URGENT BUT YET
YOU'RE GOING TO SET IT TO THE
SIDE AND SAY HE DOESN'T NEED TO
BE TREATED NOW.
THERE ARE A LOT MORE GUYS OUT
THERE LIKE ME AND THEY NEED
TO STEP UP."
=====
DOCTOR DILLON WANTS TO
EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF
COLON CANCER SCREENINGS WHICH
ARE USUALLY RECOMMENDED FOR
ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF 50.
CORNELL WAS 56 WHEN HE WALKED
INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH COLON CANCER.
DOCTOR DILLON ADDS THAT HAD
CORNELL BEEN SCREENED FOR COLON
CANCER YEARS EARLIER---THEY MAY
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REMOVE A
POLLUP BEFORE THE CANCER
SPREAD....
UNFORTUNATELY---THAT DIDN'T
HAPPEN BUT....
IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT
THIS VETERAN HAD TO WAIT MONTHS
TO START CHEMO WHICH
AGAIN---THERE'S NO GUARANTEES
CHEMO WILL WORK---IT ONLY
INCREASES YOUR CHANCE OF LIVING
LONGER.
THERE ARE DOZENS OF VETERANS IN
SOUTHERN COLORADO WITH
CANCER---ARE THERE ANY
DISCUSSION PLANNED IN THE FUTURE
TO TALK ABOUT BRINGING A V-A
CHEMO CENTER TO COLORADO SPRINGS
OR PUEBLO?
ACCORDING TO DOCTOR DILLON---NO!
THERE HAVE BEEN NO
CONVERSATIONS....BUT MAYBE IT'S
A CONVERSATION FOR OUR LAWMAKERS
AND MAYOR...WHO WE WILL BE
REACHING OUT TO.
MORE TO COME----
AS ALWAYS---
IF YOU NEED OUR HELP AND HAVE A
PROBLEM OR ISSUE YOU'D LIKE OUR
I-
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